For women with low iron stores, [who therefore] need to consume beef, does [soy ground beef] contain iron that can help keep the stores up?

— Micah and Katie (Via the blog)

Great question!

Let’s start with a few basics.

Iron is located in hemoglobin, a protein within our red blood cells (pictured at left).

Hemoglobin is responsible for delivering oxygen from the lungs to various body tissues so other cells – which rely on oxygen — can use it.

Low hemoglobin levels are therefore problematic, as they result in cells not having enough oxygen delivered to them to perform their required tasks.

The recommended dietary allowance for iron is set at 8 milligrams for men and women over 50, but vegetarian men of all ages and women over 50 should be consuming approximately 15 milligrams a day.

The reason? There are two types of iron – heme and non-heme.

Heme is found in animal sources of iron, non-heme in vegetarian contributors.

Non-heme iron is not absorbed as easily, so 10 milligrams of purely non-heme iron is not sufficient.

This is not to say that vegetarian diets are inadequate; simply that they require a higher intake of iron.

This is not too difficult to do, especially given the high amount of fortified vegetarian products that provide plenty of iron.

Beans and dried fruits are also great sources of this mineral.

Keep in mind that women who menstruate have higher iron needs.

Those on omnivore diets are recommended to consume 18 milligrams a day. Vegetarian women falling into this category should be taking in 30 to 35 milligrams a day.

The issue of low iron stores is an interesting one because it often gets mixed up with iron-deficiency anemia, although they are two very different things.

Iron stores run a gamut, from “inadequate” to “excessive”.

In the middle of that spectrum lies the “adequate/healthy” point.

Anemia is actually the “end stage”, or lowest point, of iron deficiency.

The condition of anemia is diagnosed by looking at hemoglobin, mentioned above, and hematocrit (the number and size of red blood cells).

In anemia, there simply isn’t enough iron present to form hemoglobin. In turn, cells are not receiving enough oxygen.

Now here’s where things get interesting.

Someone falling in between adequate stores and anemia has what is known as “iron deficiency.”

Iron deficiency is diagnosed by looking at levels of the transferrin — a protein that binds to and transports iron – receptor and transferrin saturation (in other words, the percentage of molecules of transferrin that are saturated with iron).

The bad news is that standard blood tests only show hemoglobin and hematocrit.

Hence, you could very well be iron deficient and not know it.

You need to specifically ask for transferrin receptor and transferrin saturation blood labs.

Many, many thanks to Dr. Domingo Piñeroof New York University’s Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health for providing a private iron 101 mini-lesson earlier today to help me answer this question as exhaustively — and accurately — as possible.